MINETY gipsy Donna Stevens has broken her silence to speak out against her community's proposed move to Wootton Bassett.
In the first interview given on behalf of the 60-strong gipsy community, Donna says the gipsy families are sickened and saddened at the prospect of moving again.
"We aren't a herd of animals," she said.
"We won't be snatched from somewhere we have come to call home just to be shoved where we are not wanted, where we'll be loathed by neighbours and where our kids will be shouted at in the street."
For Donna, the above description has been something she had become accustomed to in her 28 years as a traveller.
But now the mum-of-two says she wants to settle and raise her children in a stable environment.
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"I don't want my children to go from school to school, the constant need for acceptance will mean they'll never settle down.
"They're at school now and they're settled and happy. I think if we were moved away from Minety I would stop them going to school because I don't want them to go through the name-calling I did when I was little."
Donna sets her community apart from other travellers saying they have always strived to gain acceptance in Minety.
She says the community is far from the common stereotype that Minety travellers all live in open-plan static homes. She says the families pay council tax, income tax, national insurance and water and electricity bills.
"There's only a very small minority from the village who are still not satisfied we are here but it has been five years and the villagers realise now that we are not trouble makers.
We won’t be snatched from somewhere we have come to call home just to be shoved where we are not wanted, where we’ll be loathed by neighbours and where our kids will be shouted at in the street.
Donna Stevens
"Our kids who were once pointed at in the street are now welcome at birthday parties and hugged by their friends in the playground."
Donna thinks that rogue travellers and movies are to blame for public perception towards gipsies.
Films such as Snatch, in which Brad Pitt plays Irish gipsy Mickey O'Neil, haven't done the group any favours she says.
"It was so false, so awful we thought Oh God people will think we live like that', and to be honest I think they do,'' she said.
One of the questions brought up by residents living next to the proposed permanent travellers site is Why, if they are gipsies, do they want to settle down?'
Donna explained: "The truth is that the adults in this site have travelled all their lives, many of us have not been fortunate enough to have a proper education and as responsible parents we want to ensure our kids have that chance.
"We pay council tax, national insurance, income tax, water rates and electricity bills and are entitled to everything that someone living in a house is.
"The difference is that we don't want to live in a house, we want to live in a static home. It's light, it's airy, it isn't as expensive and living on a site like this one, it feels more open. We might be gipsies or travellers or whatever the ill-informed wants to call us - but last time I checked we were still human."
The council will be starting its six-week consultation period on Friday to consider potential sites. The government has made it clear that councils across the country have to provide enough sites to meet the needs of gipsies and travellers.
Posted by: silvergran, Swindon on 4:13pm Thu 8 May 08
If they had gone through the normal channels and applied for permissing instead of bulldozing their way onto the site, perhaps things would have been different.
If they had gone through the normal channels and applied for permissing instead of bulldozing their way onto the site, perhaps things would have been different.
Don't want to move?! I thought that was part of the definition of a Gypsy? Surely they are itinerant workers , constantly on the move? Nomads, no less?! Unless these aren't *real* gypsies...
Don't want to move?! I thought that was part of the definition of a Gypsy? Surely they are itinerant workers , constantly on the move? Nomads, no less?! Unless these aren't *real* gypsies...
[quote][bold]Tobz[/bold] wrote:
...precisely... When does someone stop being a 'traveller' by definition??![/quote] When they pay tax, get a legitimate job and don't fly tip....
Tobz wrote:
...precisely... When does someone stop being a 'traveller' by definition??!
When they pay tax, get a legitimate job and don't fly tip....
[quote][bold]TheBluesBrother[/bold] wrote:
I have to agree with Donna, imagine waking up each morning living next to somebody from Wootton Bassett. Better class of people in Minety.[/quote] Is it true that Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull lives in Minety? He had better be careful. With his looks, he'll get moved on to Bassett.
TheBluesBrother wrote:
I have to agree with Donna, imagine waking up each morning living next to somebody from Wootton Bassett. Better class of people in Minety.
Is it true that Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull lives in Minety? He had better be careful. With his looks, he'll get moved on to Bassett.
I now understand the gypsy’s problems , because if the council are having this much trouble to find them a site with all the planning experience they have ,what hope do the gypsy’s have every where is prejudice to them.
There is good and bad in all races and types of people look at our fellow English men ...drugs ..gun crimes...and sex offenders…teenage kids killing there class mates !! do you blame them for not wanting to integrate . Have you ever wondered why the gypsies might not want to settle with us in houses ? In there own community they seem to look out for each other and they know there kids are safe from people like I just mentioned. Our community should look out for each other a bit more not just sit on our pc's criticising others.
I now understand the gypsy’s problems , because if the council are having this much trouble to find them a site with all the planning experience they have ,what hope do the gypsy’s have every where is prejudice to them.
There is good and bad in all races and types of people look at our fellow English men ...drugs ..gun crimes...and sex offenders…teenage kids killing there class mates !! do you blame them for not wanting to integrate . Have you ever wondered why the gypsies might not want to settle with us in houses ? In there own community they seem to look out for each other and they know there kids are safe from people like I just mentioned. Our community should look out for each other a bit more not just sit on our pc's criticising others.
Posted by: angry monkey, Swindon on 9:59am Fri 9 May 08
" Have you ever wondered why the gypsies might not want to settle with us in houses ?"
Because they dont want to pay tax and abide by the rules that the rest of society live by?
" Have you ever wondered why the gypsies might not want to settle with us in houses ?"
Because they dont want to pay tax and abide by the rules that the rest of society live by?
[quote][bold]PJC[/bold] wrote:
Don't want to move?! I thought that was part of the definition of a Gypsy? Surely they are itinerant workers , constantly on the move? Nomads, no less?! Unless these aren't *real* gypsies...[/quote] Things have changed in most industries like machines and computers doing our jobs now and I am sure that the gypsy's trades have sampled the same things. There sites are the closest thing they have to there traditions I should imagine and if you would take the time to go down to there sites and have a look you would see that these people still also travel when they can and when they need to. As far as saying they are not Romany’s anymore because they want to settle ...are all the foreign people coming over to our country classed as English now .
PJC wrote:
Don't want to move?! I thought that was part of the definition of a Gypsy? Surely they are itinerant workers , constantly on the move? Nomads, no less?! Unless these aren't *real* gypsies...
Things have changed in most industries like machines and computers doing our jobs now and I am sure that the gypsy's trades have sampled the same things. There sites are the closest thing they have to there traditions I should imagine and if you would take the time to go down to there sites and have a look you would see that these people still also travel when they can and when they need to. As far as saying they are not Romany’s anymore because they want to settle ...are all the foreign people coming over to our country classed as English now .
[quote][bold]angry monkey[/bold] wrote:
" Have you ever wondered why the gypsies might not want to settle with us in houses ?" Because they dont want to pay tax and abide by the rules that the rest of society live by?[/quote] How do you know they dont ????
angry monkey wrote:
" Have you ever wondered why the gypsies might not want to settle with us in houses ?" Because they dont want to pay tax and abide by the rules that the rest of society live by?
[quote][bold]angry monkey[/bold] wrote:
haha, just good ol'-fashioned gypsy-bashing[/quote] well why dont you stop being so ignorant and go down to the sites and get some facts for yourself....im sure you would be brave enough to bash them to there face.
angry monkey wrote:
haha, just good ol'-fashioned gypsy-bashing
well why dont you stop being so ignorant and go down to the sites and get some facts for yourself....im sure you would be brave enough to bash them to there face.
Local council are finding it a problem to build permanent sites somewhere as they are facing so much opposition so maybe you could understand the corner gypsies get put into. The gypsies have been there since 2005 and they probably felt they had no choice has they didn’t want to wait five years for the council to pull there finger out and make a site and in fact if you read the facts when the council locate a site its still going to be 2011 before anyone can move on the site. Gypsies aren't going to go away, don't forget that many Romany gypsy families were executed alongside Jews by the Nazis, so many know about real persecution. And as far as everyone saying they didn’t apply for planning permission ask your selves why …In terms of planning, the vast majority of all Gypsy planning applications are refused, for the average Anglo-Saxon, less than half are refused. So lets get rid of the hysteria and prejudice and have a proper debate about how we can all live together and where ? Let them stay at Minety or move them to another location ???
Local council are finding it a problem to build permanent sites somewhere as they are facing so much opposition so maybe you could understand the corner gypsies get put into. The gypsies have been there since 2005 and they probably felt they had no choice has they didn’t want to wait five years for the council to pull there finger out and make a site and in fact if you read the facts when the council locate a site its still going to be 2011 before anyone can move on the site. Gypsies aren't going to go away, don't forget that many Romany gypsy families were executed alongside Jews by the Nazis, so many know about real persecution. And as far as everyone saying they didn’t apply for planning permission ask your selves why …In terms of planning, the vast majority of all Gypsy planning applications are refused, for the average Anglo-Saxon, less than half are refused. So lets get rid of the hysteria and prejudice and have a proper debate about how we can all live together and where ? Let them stay at Minety or move them to another location ???
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